Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is one of the factors that have a negative influence on the ecosystem and is caused primarily by human activities. In this process, natural habitats (biotopes) may disappear or break up. Isolation is mainly caused by linear transportation networks. Motorways and expressways have the highest isolation effect due to the existence of fences, the wide carriageway and the intensive traffic. In our research, we investigated medium-sized concrete box culverts using sand benches. The recorded traces were used to determine the species that used the culverts. Based on our results, we could not describe a linear increase in culvert use. However, we observed seasonal variation. We distinguished a summer-autumn season with high use and a winter-spring season with low use. The most frequent species was the red fox, followed by small carnivores and, last, the badger. Among these, the results for badger suggest that the opening rate of the passages was not optimal, since this species had the highest rate of return. Our results suggest that the road structures we studied are suitable for reducing habitat fragmentation effects.
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